Intervention of CM and Education Minister must in saving higher education: RMS Chhina
AMRITSAR: The general House of Non-Govt. Colleges’ Managements Federation of Punjab and Chandigarh (NGCMF) today discussed burning issues confronting higher education in state at its meeting held at Guru Nanak Khalsa College of Girls, Gujjarkhan Campus, Ludhiana.
Terming the various decisions announced by the Punjab Government with regard to higher education recently as arbitrary and detrimental to the interests of colleges, the federation called upon the State Government to save higher education which is facing huge losses due to the flight of students to foreign countries.
The higher education is facing severe challenges and many colleges in Punjab are on the verge of closure but instead of saving Colleges, the government is trying to destroy the institutions of higher learning, said President of the Federation Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina.
He also sought early release of the pending SC scholarships amount to the Colleges. He added that despite court orders, the Government was not releasing the money for SC students on time and the students belonging to downtrodden section are facing hardships.
A high-level delegation of the Federation will meet the education minister of Punjab Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer to apprise him about the problems being faced by the Colleges and their Managements. They also sought the intervention of CM Bhagwant Mann and Education Minister asking them to look into this grim situation which is detrimental to the status of higher education.
The apex body of the 142 aided colleges also reiterated their decision to not to fill vacant DPI posts of College teachers in Punjab under 75 per cent grants scheme in future as the scheme had been diluted arbitrarily without consulting stakeholders and demanded the implementation of full-fledged 95 per cent grant-in-aid scheme.
Earlier Federation had asked all the Colleges’ Managements to refrain from calling government nominees to its meetings, which is an attack on the autonomy of the colleges in Punjab and Chandigarh. The aided colleges have played historic role in imparting education for over a century now and are an extended arm of the state government to education society. The issues including bearing the costs of gratuity and leave encashment of aided teaching and non- teaching staff, pending DPI grants, implementing 95% grant-in-aid schemes instead of 75% for appointment of teachers, repealing the reservation policy, clear distinction in functioning of colleges and universities, immediate release of the pending Post Matric Scholarships amounts to the Colleges for SC Students, waiving of road tax for vehicles owned by colleges and better coordination of state universities were also discussed in details during the meeting.